Army Profession And Ethic (CAPE)

This paper will explore the Army’s newest character building initiative, Center for the Army Profession and Ethic (CAPE). We will take a close look at CAPE from the center’s creation in 2008 as the Army Center of Excellence for the Professional Military Ethic (ACPME), to the newly revamped CAPE website, http://cape.army.mil. What is the proponent mission of CAPE for the Army? How many training programs does CAPE provide, and how does a Leader or Soldier access the programs? CAPE has conducted numerous surveys and studies since 2010 to assess the impact of war on Leaders and their Soldiers. With this data and ongoing studies, each year CAPE develops new education and training programs to help Leaders reinforce and build the trust, character,

The ACPME was changed to the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic or CAPE in August 2010. The center now falls under the command and control of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and its Combined Arms Center (CAC). Since the change, CAPE has expanded their mission to encompass the full scope of the Army Profession. CAPE’s objectives are to assess, study, and refine the Profession, Army Ethic and culture; increase understanding and internalization of what it means for the Army to be a Profession and to be a Professional; accelerate professional and character development in individuals, units, and Army culture through training, education, and leader development. Through an array of data collection processes and symposiums each fiscal year, CAPE delivers new and improved education and training for Leaders and Soldiers. All of the data collection processes, training, education, Army doctrine, policies, and informational papers can be found very easily on the CAPE website

The human factor can never be predicted or assured, only assumed at best. Character building efforts thus far only address the Army as a whole, not the individual Soldiers and Leaders who make the Army what it is today. The professional character that the Army is looking to build is a personal choice for each Soldier. Professionalism internalizes for Soldiers and Leaders at different times in life, and at different times in their careers. There is no doctrine or class that will touch every Soldier, every Leader, at any age or maturity level, and from all lifestyles . Internalizing the Army’s Values and Ethic is one of, if not the most personal thing that a Soldier goes though. It is a hard task for anyone, especially an 18 or 19-year-old private. It is hard to give your heart and soul to something, because it is even harder to get it back. The other human dynamic is the judgment of character. It is up to each individual Leader to judge the character of his/her Soldiers. The same goes for Soldiers judging, and looking up to the character of their Leaders. Judgment of character is not a skill that can be taught in any classroom, or by any power point slide. This skill comes from experience; it is built by living life and dealing with other people. In short, there really is no way to accurately collect data from this massively diverse